Pickens lit up the league in his first year in Dallas, but many are now wondering what he'll do for an encore.
There are a number of whys you can describe George Pickens' first year with the Dallas Cowboys.
Scintillating, extraordinary, elite, box office, and likely many more.
Pickens would have the best year of his career in Brian Schottenheimer's offense as he posted career highs in yards (1,429), touchdowns (nine), and receptions (93) to earn his first Pro Bowl nod.
Pickens thrived in Dallas largely because he had a proper quarterback in Dak Prescott.
But George also held up his end of the bargain as well, posting the best catch percentage of his career (67.9 percent). So, when the ball came his way, more often than not, he came down with it.
Now, though, all eyes are on 2026 to see if Pickens' 2025 form was a flash in the pan, or the beginning of something special.
He will get another offseason with Dak, Schottenheimer, and the rest of the offense, so you could make the case that everything is in place for Pickens to have an even better year than he did last season.
And owner Jerry Jones thinks so too.
“We will expect more earlier,” Jones said via Yahoo Sports. “He will expect more. That he not only build on where he got to last year, the preparation will be out there happening as a major part in any series or any game. So I think from the get-go, he will have more to give in the plans of what we're doing early and late in the season.”
Now, to expect Pickens to surpass 1,429 yards, 93 receptions, and 9 TDs isn't fair. Of course, he could.
But CeeDee Lamb will likely have a better year than he did last year, as he posted his lowest totals in yards (1,077), receptions (75), and TDs (three) since 2021.
Plus, defenses have another offseason to study what the Cowboys did with Pickens and work out ways to stop him.
So that is why the offseason participation from George is crucial, as Schottenheimer wants the offense to evolve, and Pickens will be a big part of that. Getting on the same page early is good business.
I don't how about others, but expectations from me for Pickens is to again be a difference-maker, stay locked in off the field, and put up consistent numbers.
Do that, any everything else will take care of itself.
